Upcycle your old T-shirt into a handy tote bag

Help the environment by upcycling your old T-shirts into tote bags in under 10 minutes.

Supplies:

• Old t-shirt – The thicker the fabric, the sturdier the bag
• Sharp scissors, preferably fabric scissors
• Washable marker (optional)

Directions

Step 1: Cut the sleeves off

Fold the T-shirt in half and cut both sleeves.

Step 2: Cut the neckline area

For a more precise cut, turn the T-shirt inside out and trace the outline of a bowl before cutting.

Step 3: Determine how deep you want the bag to be

Decide where you want the bottom of the bag to be and trace a line across it.

Step 4: Cut fringe

Get your scissors and cut slits 3/4 to 1 inch apart from the bottom of the T-shirt to the line marking at the bottom of the bag. Make sure you cut the front and back layers together so that the slits are identical.

Step 5: Tie Fringe

Take your first pair of fringe and tie it into a knot, then tie two more pairs.  Lift your bag you’ll see that although the pairs are pulling the bag together, there’s a hole between each pair. Grab one strand from the middle set and tie it in a knot with one of the strands on the left set. Then I take the other strand from the middle set and tie it in a knot with one of the strands on the right set. Take the remaining strand on the right set and tie it to the next set of strands, and so on and so forth until all the strands are tied.

Turn your shirt on the right side and you’re done!